Mechanism for feeding cardboard and like blanks to creasing, folding, or other treatment machinery



Oct. 512, 1943. s o 2,331,533

MECHANISM FOR FEEDING CARDBOARD AND LIKE BLANKS TQ CREASING, FOLDING, OR OTHER TREATMENT MACHINERY v Filed Jan. 28, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 EDWlN LESLIE BISHOP jizvnfor 1943. E L. BISHOP 2,331,533

MECHANISM FOR FEEDIRG CARDBOARD AND LIKE BLANKS TO CREASING, FOLDING, OR OTHER TREATMENT MACHINERY 7 Filed Jan. 28, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 EDWIN LESLIE BISHOP fiam rzior BY QZMQL Oct. 12, 1943. E. BISHOP MECHANISM FOR FEEDING CARDBOARD AND LIKE BLANKS TO GREASING, FOLDING, OR OTHER TREATMENT MACHINERY Filed Jan. 28, 1942 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3- EDWIN LESLIE BISHOP Mvenfar Patented Oct. 12, 1943 MECHANISM FOR FEEDING CARDBOARD AND LIKE BLANKS TO CBEASING, FOLD ING, OR OTHER TREATMENT MACHINERY Edwin Leslie Bishop, Birmingham, England Application January 28, 19.42, Serial No.-428,562 In Great Britain February 20, 1941 Claims. (01. 271-322) This invention has reference to improvements in mechanism for feeding carboard or like blanks to creasing, folding, orother treatment ma- 'chinery, and has for its object to automatically feed the blanks successively one by one from the'bottom of a pile to theaforesaid machinery irrespective of any normal warping, bending, or deformation which'may obtain in one or other of the said blanks, the operation being effected positively and expeditiously and without detriment to the blank.

The present invention consists of improvements in mechanism for feeding cardboard or like blanks to creasing, folding or other treatment machinery wherein the blanks are disposed in a feed pile from which it is desired to successively remove the lowermost blank and to positively feed same into the nip of the feed rolls or other mechanical feed device through or by which the blank is traversed to the mechanism foreffecting the subsequent operation thereon, which generally speaking is the first of a series of operations such as creasing, folding, gumming, labelling, etc; The characteristic features of the present invention reside in means for efiecting thetransfer by traverse of the lowermost blank of the pile toward and through a gauge slot of a stop plate and into the nip of the feed rolls or other mechanical feed device by (a) effecting an instantaneous couple of a traversable suction cup member with a vacuum chamber, (b) temporarily maintaining the couple for a predetermined traverse of the cup member together with the lowermost board of thepile, and (c) the subsequent release of this couple to atmosphere when the mechanical feeding of the traversed blank commences.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate so much of a feed mechanism as is necessary to an understandingof the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a part sectional side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a plan on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail view to an enlarged scale illustrating the traversable suction cup member in the position it occupies when adjacent the nip of the feed rolls.

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view illustrating the vacuum pump and associated mechanism by means of which the reciprocating motion of the piston and of the suction cup member are ob.-

tained. V

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention which is intended to show its application to a feed mechanism for cardboard and like blanks of the kind which are utilised for the production of cardboard boxes, the pile of cardboard blanks in the form-20f a vertical stack isindicated by the series-of dotted lines designated B. This stack is located on a frame having a stationary horizontal part 5 formed by a plurality of parallel rails and vertical stanchions- 6 which approximately determine the disposition of the pile B relative to the feed mechansim. This feed mechanism comprises a horizontal traversable central section I which at its forward end incorporates a crossbar la which is located within undercut recesses 5a formed in the outer pair of rails 5 forming the outer part of the stationary section of the pile supporting frame. The section; 'lqof the. traversable frame is mounted upon a plurality of anti-friction rollers lb which are mounted on transverse spindles in the supportingframework of the; machine.

The distance apart of the outer pairof rails 5 within a cam track Illa-formed inthe cam l6,

the cam l0 being mountedonthe shaft l2 which is continuously rotated through a worm Wheel transmission H which is operated from the main drive of the machine (not shown). On the shaft l2 there is provided a crank [3 which is pivotally connected to the connecting rod M of the piston of a reciprocating vacuum pump mechanism, the cylinder'of'which is designated l5. Also mounted on the shaft I2 is a sprocket wheel IS which through a chain I! effects the rotation of the feed rolls l8 through a toothed wheel transmision 19 mounted on the spindles of the feed rolls. I

To the cross bar 1a of the traversable central section 1 is connected a suction cup member 20 inthe form of an open-topped box, the top surface whereof is constituted by a grid or grill. The base of this cup member is connected by means of a pair of flexible pipes 2! to the side wall of the pump cylinder l5 which forms part of the lowermost board of the feed pile B which is resting on the supporting frame, thereby effectin'g a positive sealing engagement between the periphery of the suction cup member 20 and this lowermost board, the vacuum beingof sufficient intensity to draw this board (even ifpar:

tially deformed) into firm and adherent contact with the periphery of the cup member 20. This vacuum couple continues in being while the piston moves further outwardly until the piston reaches a relief port [5a in the cylinder wall. Simultaneous with this continued motion of the piston the suction cup member together with the central traversable section I of the supporting frame is traversed forward through the transmission already described with the lowermost board firmly held in contact therewith until the forward edge of the board has passed through a gauge slot which is determined by the setting of a vertically adjustable stop plate 22 relative to the top face of the suction cup member 20, the board being passed through this slot into the nip of the feed rolls l3. On either side of the stop plate 22 there is provided a fixed guide plate which at its lower end provides a leading surface for the blank into the nip of the feed rolls l8, and also serves to guard the fingers of the operator from contact with these rolls. At this moment the piston has reached the outward extremity of its stroke and has uncovered the relief port |5a and the pump circuit returns to atmospheric pressure in readiness for the reverse or inward stroke of the piston and of the suction cup member 20 and the associated part of the frame in readiness for the next feed or forward stroke, the stroke of the piston being mechanically synchronised through the transmission mechanism already described with the traverse of the central frame section I and the suction cup member 20.

A one-way valve 23 is incorporated in the head of the cylinder ii to allow of the escape of the air therefrom on the inward stroke of the piston so that no pressure is created in the cylinder by this stroke.

If it should be desired to stop the feed of the blanks due to say any defect arising in the machinery, this can be readily accomplished by opening the one-way valve 23 by means of the lever 24 which may be set to control the opening motion of the valve 23 so that the other part of the machinery can continue to function through its connection to the main drive, but the feed of blanks from the pile will cease.

The vacuum or suction couple which obtains and is maintained between the forward undersurface of the lowermost blank and the periphery of the mouth of the suction cup member is sufficient to flatten or straighten out any normal deformation which may obtain in the blank so as to ensure the positive feeding of this blank through the gauge slot and will maintain the blank in the correct feed position until the blank has been directed into the nip of the feed rolls l8 and released thereinto.

By the aforesaid invention there is provided a simple but positive and efficient means for feeding the lowermost blanks one at a time from the base of the pile, and of overcoming the difficulty which ordinarily would arise in the feed mechanism if any one of the blanks should be deformed in such a manner as would ordinarily obstruct its passage through the gauge slot in the stop plate.

It will be appreciated that more than one traversable suction cup member may be employed if desired and that a plurality of such members may be coupled to a common vacuum cylinder.

In the illustrated form of the invention the feed mechanism hereinbefore described is constructed and mounted to form a separate removable unit by the provision of wheels 26 mounted on the lower end of the vertical stanchions 6, whereby this feeding mechanism can be transferred from one blank folding or creasing machine to another where this feeding mechanism is not built into or a part of the machine as a whole.

I claim:

1. A mechanism for feeding cardboard or like blanks to creasing, folding, or other treatment machinery wherein the blanks are disposed in a feed pile from which it is desired to successively remove the lowermost blank and to positively feed same into the nip of the feed rolls, comprising a reciprocating traversable frame, a suction cup member connected to said frame, a flexible pipe coupling connected to said member, a reciprocating vacuum pump also connected to said flexible coupling whereby a timed instantaneous couple and a release to atmosphere is obtained within the suction cup member, and a continuously driven motion transmission mechanism for eifecting the reciprocating motion of the said frame in synchronised relationship to the stroke of the piston of the pump, a pair of feed rolls rotated by said mechanism, and an adjustable stop plate which permits of the passage of the lowermost board of the pile into the nip of the said feed rolls.

2. Mechanism according to the preceding claim mounted on wheels to constitute an independent transferable unit whereby the feed mechanism can be associated with different creasing, folding, or other treatment machines.

3. A mechanism for feeding sheets successively from a stack comprising a suction cup, at reciprocating vacuum pump, mechanism for translating the suction cup in contact with the endmost sheet of the stack and operating the vacuum pump in synchronism, means actuated during each suction stroke of the vacuum pump, after a vacuum has been created therein, for connecting the vacuum pump substantially instantaneously with the suction cup, and means for releasing the vacuum in the cup at the end of the feed-- ing operation.

4. A mechanism for feeding sheets successively from a stack comprising a suction cup, a vacuum pump including a cylinder and a piston reciprocable therein, and mechanism for translating the suction cup in contact with the endmost sheet of the stack and operating the vacuum pump in synchronism, the wall of said cylinder having an opening connected to said suction cup that is uncovered by the piston at an intermediate point in its suction stroke, and an opening connected to the atmosphere that is uncovered by the piston at a subsequent point in its suction stroke.

5. A mechanism for feeding sheets successively from a stack comprising a suction cup, a vacuum pump including a cylinder and a piston reciprocable therein, mechanism for translating the suction cup in contact with the endmost sheet of the stack and operating the vacuum pump in synchronism, the wall of said cylinder having an opening connected to said suction cup that is uncovered by the piston at an intermediate point in its suction stroke, and an opening connected to the atmosphere that is uncovered by the piston at a subsequent point in its suction stroke, and a one-way valve for releasing pressure from said cylinder during the return stroke of the piston.

EDWIN LESLIE BISHOP. 

